Conventional diamond like films (DLF) have been deposited on substrates with a variety of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques and instrumentations. Typically, deposition of the DLF is achieved through use of a hot filament, a microwave, or a radio frequency (RF) chemical vapor deposition (CVD) systems utilizing primarily methane (CH4) and hydrogen (H2) gasses at pressures ranging from 10.0 millitorr to 100.0 tort and at temperatures above 400.0 degrees Celsius. However, while these deposition techniques are suitable for making bulk films that have characteristics similar to diamond itself, these films have not shown electron emissive behavior suitable for electronic device applications.
It was observed by Wang et al. that electron field emission takes place with CVD polycrystalline diamond films, then later recognized in 1991, (Electrn. Lett. 27, (16), 1991, pp. 1459-1461), that such films have a potential use as cold cathode electron sources due to the so called "negative electron affinity". However, while these observations indicated a potential use of polycrystalline diamond films for cold cathode electron sources, these films have severe limitations and problems, such as irregular electron emission, difficult process control, low intensity electron emission, and the like, thus making these films also unsuitable for electronic device applications.
It can be seen that conventional methods for making gem quality or bulk diamond like carbon films are not adequate for making electron sources, especially, cold cathode electron sources. Irregular electron emission, unsuitable manufactureability, low intensity electron emission do not allow conventional bulk films to be used in high volume manufacturing of electron emissive films, thus not enabling such diamond like carbon films to be used in cold cathode electron emission displays. Therefore, a method that improves and solves the problems stated hereinabove would be highly desirable.